6 Uses of Beacon Technology for Nonprofits

May 25, 2015

4:00 pm

0 Shares

Large businesses, service companies, and retail stores have begun to adopt bluetooth beacon technology. A beacon is a small sensor that senses when a smartphone or other device is within a certain range. Targeting marketing and sales can benefit from this technology by sending real-time, geo-located offers and information.

The folks at Chicago 501(c)3 Lumity have shared a blog post to help us understand how nonprofit organizations can also use this technology. Here are six uses for beacons during nonprofit events, seminars, workshops and conferences:

In-event navigation. You can use blue-tooth beacon technology to help your attendees find the check-in table or other areas of interest when they arrive. Next, use the technology to alert attendees to panel discussions and speaker information so they know when and where different events are taking place. If you have vendors or breakout sessions, help attendees know when they are close to these events and what time the events will start.

See how long attendees stay at your event. It’s always good to see who shows up to your events, but sometimes attendees are late and miss check-in, or they leave early. Beacon technology will allow you to measure who actually shows up and how long they stay. Perhaps everyone left before the final event or just after lunch. This can help you plan better, more engaging events.

Request feedback through electronic surveys after the event. Sending a survey link after the event is good, but sometimes these emails get overlooked or go to spam. You’ll get the most reliable data if you ask for feedback just after the event ends, before your guests have moved on to other things.

Ask your attendees to stay connected by signing up for email newsletters or suggest they follow you/your speakers on social media while they’re already thinking about your organization.

Offer discounts on future events or services to reward attendees. Let them get a sneak peak at upcoming opportunities as a reward for being there.

Follow up with speaker/organization information at the end of an event. Send contact information or “learn more” links straight to their phone, so they don’t have to remember to look you up later.

They’ve also got some ideas on how to use beacon technology for fundraising. Check out the full post here to find out more.

Users of Apple FaceTime have uncovered a serious privacy issue this week, with the ability to listen in and even potentially watch another person using the Group FaceTime service, without their knowledge. Apple has removed the feature from its devices while it races to find a fix

Apple has lost its trillion dollar status after announcing some disappointing financial forecasts for the next quarter. We've taken a look at what that means for the company, why it's happened, and what it can do to put it right.

With the challenge laid down by the Samsung S10 and Galaxy Fold, what does Apple need to do to ensure its iPhone range can compete? We look at the key tech areas where Apple needs to step up its innovation, make up lost ground, or concede the race altogether.

Previously the Managing Editor at Tech.Co, Ann Diab has a background of launching and nurturing of startups and tech companies.
Empowering and educating entrepreneurs and startups to better productivity and culture is her passion. Growth Manager at WorkingOn to enable folks all over the world to enjoy work and improve communication. Follow me on Twitter.